One Year Later
by me-the-nerdish-weirdo
Summary: It's been a year since Ladybug and Chat Noir met each other and fought their first akuma. It's their anniversary too! Marinette proposes an idea that could potentially bring them closer than ever!
1. Chapter 1: The Idea

**Chapter 1**

It was a clear and slightly breezy night. Looking up, I could see the billions of stars that twinkled in my eyes. I stood up, breathing in the fresh air as I was on the top of the Eiffel Tower. I was a great length above the ground. The people below were merely little ants from my view. I could see dim lights from the windows of the many homes in the city. As time went on, the light would turn off, but it would be alright. I would be left with the infinity of stars.

As I walked, my steps echoed through the tower. It is quiet up here. Soon, I was close to the edge of the tower. One unlucky step and I would be falling towards a possible death scenario. But nevertheless, I was not afraid.

In this height, I was unstoppable for I was Ladybug, one of Paris' heroines.

On one of the several roofs in the city was my one and only partner, Chat Noir. Night time meant patrol time us. Akumas came when we least expect it, so we have to be on our lookout at all times. Patrol meant that we had to sacrifice a couple of hours of sleep, but for the city of Paris, I would sacrifice some sleep if it meant that everyone could sleep peacefully and safely. If it were not do the slight brightness from the street lamps, I would have been blind. I did not have the ability to see in the dark unlike Chat Noir. I envied his night vision, but I appreciated how things looked without it. Everything seemed so at peace at night.

I looked back at Chat Noir and saw that he was staring at me from the distance. I flushed red before waving to him to come over here. I started to ponder to myself. Was there something wrong? How long has he been staring? Did I do something without knowing? Was there something on my face? I felt vulnerable from his stare all of the sudden. Thank goodness he could not see the crimson red that formed on my cheeks with his night vision.

It was strange, but after a while, I shook it off. Perhaps I was imagining things; he was probably looking at something else.

In seconds, Chat leaped swiftly from one building to the next to catch up to me at the tower. I watched as his tail gracefully swung back and forth as he climbed up the tower. I heard the metal ring every step he took. When I turned over to look at where he was, he was not there. And then, I felt a finger poking my left shoulder.

"Miss me?" Chat Noir flirted.

I laughed, "In your dreams Chaton,"

He flinched a little at the statement, but he recovered too quickly for me to notice right away. It took me a few moments to register his reaction. I bite my lips. What was that? This was not exactly something I thought would happen. I knew Chat Noir flirted with me, but when I retorted before, he never had that reaction. Did I say something offensive, or was I too harsh? I kept these questions to myself naturally. And another awkward silence commenced.

"Kitty," I say, trying to ease up the awkward tension that had built up without me knowing. I look down at the ground and play around with my hand. I look up to see that he is looking at me again; I caught his attention. Once again, my eyes darted away. This time, I looked at the star-covered sky pensively.

"My lady, is something the matter?" He inquires after another awkward silence.

"No, no. It's just… Did you know that soon, it will be our first anniversary?" In the matter of four days, it would be the anniversary of the day we first met. It has been a year since then, and so much as changed in our city since then.

"Meow. What do you mean? How could I forget such an important date!" He jokingly said.

"That was unnecessary…" I stated.

"What was?" He flashes his usual smirk.

"The 'meow'," I cross my arms, purse my lips, and stare right into his eyes. His green, translucent eyes that allure me in closer to my kitty―what was I even thinking! They were just cat eyes! Nothing could compare to Adrien Agreste, whose eyes were far more fetching than Chat's. I back away from Chat Noir and remember what we were talking about.

"Bugaboo, it's not unnecessary. It's…," He pauses as if he was not sure if he should say it or not. "It's part of who I am,"

"You? A cat on the inside?" I playfully punches his arm and giggle.

He turns to look at me. I can tell he is serious. His eyes opens a door to his feelings, and in them, I can see he feels caged in like a bird who only desires freedom. "No, I mean metaphorically who I really am on the inside. It's―It's really complicated,"

My face fell, and I stop talking. I felt guilty for laughing at Chat when he was actually not joking around for once. I could tell that he really was not like that in his real life. At the same time, I was intrigued. I wanted to know more about him. But still, there was more guilt than curiosity.

"S-sorry Chat," I bow down my head to hide my shame.

I felt a hand under my chin and almost fell back at the touch. It was his hand, and he lifted my chin up, so that we were facing eye-to-eye. Looking up, I see that he is not mad. In fact, he does not seem to be affected by my commentary from earlier. He had a concerned look on his face instead. I ask myself why. I just joked around about something serious, and yet, he was was not worried about it. He was worried about me. My feelings got the best of me, and yet again, I was as red as a tomato. "C-chat Noir?"

He smiles when I say his name. It is not the normal cheeky smile that he usually shows me. It is genuine smile that I have never seen before. As if I was not already red enough already, I was crimson!

I had to quickly change the subject as soon as possible. What to say? What to say? His effect on me had messed up my mind. I could barely think properly! I was panicking on the inside. Too close! This was too close for comfort!

"Bugaboo, cat got your tongue?" Chat Noir was teasing me! I slap away his hand and laugh along with him. "Do you suddenly find me to be meow-tastic?"

"Of course not!" I explain, "It's just about our anniversary. Yeah, our anniversary,"

"And? What about our anniversary?" Argh! He's too distracting! His face is blinding my vision! No one can sparkle this much other than Adrien!

"How about we give letters to each other instead of going out of the way to get each other a gift?"

He was confused and a little taken aback by the sudden idea. "Why?"

"Well… you know…" I mentally slapped myself, "I know I said that I did not want to reveal our real identities to each other, but I think it is a somewhat of a harsh rule. By writing letters, we can show each other a bit more about our personal lives without actually telling who we are to each other. Also, I want to get to know you better as a person,"

Chat Noir strokes his chin, thinking about my idea. He does this for quite some time before answering back. "Not bad. It seems pretty claw-some,"

I smile and almost laughed at his pun, but covered it up before he noticed. "Good. I was worried that you would not approve of it,"

He looks at me and gives me a genuine smile that makes my heart stop. Was he always that capable of producing such a nice smile? I did not expect what he would say next either. "My lady, how could I not approve an idea coming from a lovely person like you?"

It is coming back again… That blush! Was he playing with me again? Gosh, I almost fell for it again. "O-oh, shut up and g-get back to patrol, Chat!"

* * *

 **A/N: I am still working on my other story, but I wanted to introduce to everyone this new story. This was meant for the Miraculous Ladybug One Year Anniversary, but I held it off because I had a lot of adjustments I wanted to make. I hope you enjoy. Happy New Years!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Letters

**Chapter 2**

I look down at the blank piece of paper. If my eyes were lasers, I probably would have burned holes in it. _Darn, why can I not get this right?_ I have been working on writing a letter for hours, but nothing came out right. I probably wrote at least 50 drafts, but they were all bad, so I threw them out.

After working on the letter, I come to a stop. I sign, "From, Ladybug" and reread it. This could be the one! Working my way to the end, I crumple the paper before chucking it into the trash can. Of course, I sent the entire trash can falling over knocking out all the other failures. Groaning, I stretch out of my chair and saunter off to pick up my mess. I give myself a mental slap on the face. _This is what happens when I come up with stupid ideas. What was with me? Letters? Why letters?_

As I work on another letter, the sun goes down and the once bright sky turns in a gorgeous starry night. _Ack! What time is it?_ I dig under the unused lined paper to find my phone. Pressing the home button, I notice that it is seven-thirty at night. _Already?_ The day blurred past without me noticing. I sigh and cup my face with my hands.

"Tikki," I whine. "What am I going to do? I need to get this letter done, but I am getting nowhere."

She advises, "Write from your heart. Write something that you want to tell him, but never had any courage to say."

I frown at the statement. _From my heart? Never had any courage to say? What could that possibly be?_ I keep pondering at my desk, but I have nothing. I cannot tell him about my identity. I cannot tell him much about my civilian life without him suspecting a lot. I lay my head on the desk and close my eyes. All this thinking has me tuckered out. The weariness came over me, and I fall asleep.

* * *

In my dream, I am transformed into my Ladybug form. A pile of fanmail towers over me. It begins shooting letters at me, which cause tiny paper cuts all over my body. _Oh no! I have to get away now._ They do not sting that badly, but it is a hassle running away from them. At some point, I find a building to hide in. A few envelopes drift and land on the ground, but the tower passes by without noticing me. I open one of the letters, and I realize that these are the letters I messed up. I squeeze the letter in my fist and scream. _Get these infernal letters away from my face already!_ Realizing I gave away my location, I dash throughout the city to get away from the tower and the letters. But it is futile because it is everywhere I go.

"Leave me alone!" I yell at the letters, using my yo-yo to block any stray letters.

"No! Not another letter!" I scream as I wake up. I hear someone stumbling and an "oof!" I looked around me and see that I am covering in my soft blanket. Surprised, I get up too quickly and trip over the blanket landing on my face.

"Ouch! Why does this always happen to me?" I pout as I get back up.

I remember how I heard a stumble earlier. It is definitely too big of a stumble to be Tikki. And if it were my parents, they would have woken me up and urged me to go to my bed to sleep. Who was the intruder? Grabbing the nearby mannequin, I hold it up as a shield to protect me from any danger. Wait, I ask myself. _I could be dreaming. There is no way a person would be able to get up to the balcony without getting caught. Unless…_

I hear a tiny squeak from the floor. Turning around, I can hardly see in the dark. I know there is someone there, but it is too dark. I squint my eyes with no success. Then, the hidden figure finally reveals himself to be Chat Noir. He steps out of the shadows and comes under the moonlight. His blonde mess shimmers under the lights. His soft green eyes peer at me with a gentle and harmless look. I put down the mannequin. I cannot help but blush in this situation. _What was he doing in my room?_ Even though I am annoyed with him, I feel relieved that it was just him.

He gives me a dramatic bow to which I giggle to. This is different than the time we met like this. The last time was because of the Evillustrator. This time, he came here on his own will despite being here at an odd time. Also, last time, I pretended to be infatuated with him. This time, I cannot lie, but I doubt I am faking it. Something about this feeling is so real, but it cannot be right. _My crush is Adrien. I like Adrien._ No matter how many times I tell myself this, I know it is not the same as before.

"So…" I awkwardly begin, "what are you doing here? You do realize that it is late right now?"

A sheepish Chat rubbed the back of his head and awkwardly laughed. He shifted his eyes away from me with slight guilt on his face. _What is he doing now?_ I cross my arms and tap my foot in an impatient manner as he took his time coming up with an excusable answer.

"Chat, I do not have all day with this," I inform him. "Tomorrow, I need to get up bright and early to help my parents at the bakery. They need an extra hand, so I cannot stay up too long."

"Sorry for waking you up Princess," he apologizes, "but I need your help on something. Please help me! I need desperate help, and you are the only person I can go to at the moment."

I tilt my head and raised my eyebrows, not being able to comprehend what was happening. He intruded into my room to get help in the middle of the night… I facepalm at Chat's stupid move. Only Chat would do something as idiotic as this. Only him…

"You know, you could have came here earlier," I sass.

"I would have came early," he claimed "but you were busy, and I had to do some mo-patrolling! Then, I came back now because I thought you might be still awake. However you weren't, so I was going to leave."

"Why did you come in?" I reply.

"You looked cold," he notes. "You were shivering, and no princess should suffer from that."

I laugh out loud. Thankfully, I know my parents were heavy sleepers, so I do not worry about any interruptions from them. He looked a bit ashamed, but nevertheless, he had good intentions at least. "Thank you Chat Noir!"

His small, shy smile creates butterflies in my stomach. My hands are on my chest. I notice a fluttering feeling in my heart. My heart beat has been faster than usual ever since I found out he was in my room. _Why does he have this affect on me?_ It reminds me of how I feel around Adrien. Except now, all I can think of is Chat Noir.

"So can you help me?" he asks. His eyes are basically begging me for help. A look of desperation takes over his usual nonchalant face.

I cannot help but sigh and give in. This is one kitty that I cannot resist. "Okay."

His lips form a bigger smile. Even I cannot resist smiling at the moment. His happiness is contagious, and it wipes out all the tiredness away from earlier.

"What do you need help with anyway? A superhero like you could handle the akuma attacks well by yourself," I tease.

He tenses up a bit. He twiddles around with his fingers before saying, "A letter. I need help with a letter."

"A letter," I repeat.

He nods, "Yes."

"You barged into my room in the middle of the night to ask me how to write a letter," I croak.

"Yes, I am fairly sure we already confirmed that earlier," he exclaims.

"Chat! It is the middle of the night! Give me a break already!" I snap, holding the mannequin in my hands again. "You have 20 seconds before I hurl this mannequin into your face!"

"Okay! I'll come back during a better time!" he squeaks before dashing out of the ceiling trapdoor.

I go to bed this time. I lay down without being able to fall asleep. Chat Noir is on my mind like a song on repeat. As the night drew on, I realize something. _I think I am in love with Chat Noir._

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry about the hiatus. I thought I was going to get an update done earlier, but it has been a busy month. Enjoy! ~methenerdishweirdo**


	3. Chapter 3: Stargazing

**Chapter 3**

 _Tap, tap, tap._

I rap my pencil on the white desk.

 _Scratch, scratch._

Scribbling when I have an idea.

Pushing my hair off my forehead.

Then, a stop when I run out of ideas.

I rip off the lined paper, crumble it, and throw it into the trash can.

"How am I going to get my letter done though?" I grumble to myself. _I guess I should give up for today._ Sitting at my desk, I stretch back and let out a big yawn. My parents had went to bed already and were sound asleep. Tikki left me to go to bed a while ago too. I hear her small breathing behind me. I rub my eyes and pick up my phone to check the time. It is almost eleven o'clock. I rest my cheek on hand and spin my chair, so that I have a better view of the window. _Where is he? It's late. Shouldn't he be here by now?_

For a couple weeks now, Chat Noir would come by for help with his letter. I oblige each time because I can tell he is trying hard for me - or at least, my Ladybug self. Every other night, after we both finished patrolling, he would come through the window the same time: 10:45 PM on the dot. I have to admit that it was still a hassle to rush home and pretend I was home the entire time. I almost got caught several times. Because of that, I eventually took down the pictures of Adrien off my wall. They are now hidden in a wooden box on my desk. Besides, things were not the same with Adrien anymore. The nervous feeling that I would have around the model was fading a little each day. Before, I would consider this a huge feat, but now, I am talking to him without stuttering - okay, well just a little stumble here and there. My only issue now is that I think I have a crush on Chat Noir…and my feelings seem to be growing?

But anyway, today should be one of the days that he would drop by to work on his letter. I get up and pace around the room, probably leaving dents on the wooden tiles with my footprints. _I wonder if everything is alright. What if he was fighting an akuma?_ I stop in the middle of the room and start to panic. _Oh no! Should I go check if there is an akuma right now?_ I peered through the window. Because I kept tugging and fumbling with my hair (a nervous habit), some of my hair fell out of the rubber band. _Oh, that is not important! I should get to Chat Noir!_ I rip off the rubber bands out of my tangled, blue hair and throw it off to the side.

I stomp over to my bed to wake up the sleeping kwami. With a surprised, yet worried look on her face, she began floating from the sheets. I look for any signs of my parents awakening before commanding, "Tikki, spo-"

All of the sudden, there is a creak, followed by the whistle of the wind. Startled, I snapped my head towards the door to my balcony and see Chat Noir. Tikki hides in a opened drawer.

"Chat No-" I proceed to reprimand before being cut off.

He lifts a finger to his lips and signals me to be quiet. Before I can protest or ask questions, I watch his luminescent eyes piece mine, and I realize he was up to something. _What is this kitty doing now?_ He carefully looks around him before waving his hands to tell me to come up. On the way up, I grab the nearest blanket for Chat, my jacket, and a tray with snacks and two cups of hot chocolate. I hand the tray to him as I climb onto the balcony.

"You're late today," I quip, walking to the edge with Chat Noir. My fingers are slightly red from the cold wind that blows every now and then.

He chuckles, "I presume you missed me, Princess?"

While bashfully looking away, I tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ear. I stamper, "N-no, I was worried that you were fighting another akuma! So why did you want me to come up here"

His green eyes lights up innocently like a child. A giant grin appears on his face. He pulls out a large blanket from behind his back. "Let's do some stargazing!"

With a quizzical expression on my face, I watch as he unfolds the blanket and lay it on the ground. He flops down and pats his hands on the spot next to him. "Come on Marinette. You've helped me work on the letter for weeks now. You and I deserve a break."

I tilt my head up and stare out into the sky. My mouth drops. A full moon. It is so bright and shines along with the other stars. Watching them can be so overwhelming. There is so many stars watching me back. I feel like I am floating as the stars envelop me. The world is endless. This is absolutely a breathtaking sight. I bring the cup of hot chocolate to my lips. The sweet, yet bitter scent entices me. I take a small gulp and relish the sugary drink.

Then, I hear him sigh. He ponders, "Have you ever searching for constellations in the stars?"

"Actually, no," I answer. "There's just so many of them that it is hard for me to recognize. How about you?"

Chat Noir examines the stars before he points at the sky. I follow his finger and see a bunch of stars. Then, I start connecting them to reveal the Big Dipper, followed by the Little Dipper. I mouth the word "wow" and watch the water vapor float from my breath.

"I have never seen a constellation in person," I admit. "All my life, the constellations I knew were the ones from books or pictures on the Internet. I guess it is because I never have the time to appreciate small things like the stars and how amazing they are."

He confesses, "I never had the chance to see the stars either until recently. I owe this experience to being Chat Noir. For a while, my life is what you could describe as sheltered. But when I become Chat Noir, it is so different. I feel free to do what I want with my life. If I want to go out at night, I can. If I want to watch the stars, I can. There is nothing getting in my way anymore. I can climb rooftops, jump over walls, and-"

He rubs the back of his neck and averts his eyes. "Sorry, you barely know me, yet I am talking your ears off. You are already helping me with my letter, and now, I am making you stay up just to listen to me talk about this."

I open my mouth and no words come out. Just a small whimper. Even as Ladybug, he never tells me any of this, which cannot be helped because we are so busy saving Paris that we never have time to actually talk. He looked so helpless at the moment, so I wrapped my arms around him and pull myself closer. He jumps at the sudden embrace. "Chat, you are absolutely ridiculous, you know? I agree. Yes, I barely know you, but you have saved me various times before. Also, we have been working on this letter for a long time. I do not know your other self, but I know, on the inside, you are an earnest and good-natured person. It is fine if you talk to me because I want to become your friend."

I hold him tighter. Part of me wants to yell at him for apologizing. I am his partner. I work with him to fight akumas, and we go on nightly patrols together. I may not know his identity, but I know who he is at heart. He is kind and thoughtful. He works hard to save Paris at its time of need. He is funny and honest. He is not afraid to show the world who he is. I know who he is, but it hurts to not be able to tell him. If he found out, he would definitely be disappointed. Ladybug is strong and not a klutz. Not only that, but it is safer to keep our identities a secret. If someone were to find out, we would both be in danger, and I would not be able to handle him getting hurt because of me. It is just so frustrating. I feel my nails dig into my palm. I want to be able to comfort him, but what he just said made me feel so far away from him.

I inhale and waver, "It's fine to be your friend, right? Even if I am not Ladybug? Even if I am just an average girl?"

He puts his arms around me and hugs me back. "Of course you are, Marinette. It seems to me that you are the one saving me - from the letters to just now."

I close my eyes and smile. I feel his soft hair tickle my face. My heart pounds, but he does not notice. I promise, "Anytime, Chaton. Anytime."

Suddenly, we hear barking. I automatically jump and push him back. Consequently, I tumble and fall on my back, shouting, "AH!"

I get back up with a red face. I hold onto my shoulder and stare at him intently. There is a different expression on his face. His eyes look serious unlike his usual playful demeanor. He holds his hands out, and my muscles feel tense as he strings his finger through my loose hair. He muses, "Your hai-"

 _ARF! ARF!_ The dog barking begins again. I turn my head and glare at where the sound came from. By the time I look back, his hands are gone.

"Ah, I think it is getting late, Marinette," he speaks. He rubs the back of his neck and averts his eyes. But this time, it is different. Under the moonlight, I could see that his cheeks were pink.

"Yeah, I better get to bed," I agreed, pulling at my hair and letting out an uneasy laugh. "I forgot tomorrow is a school day." I start picking up the tray and the empty mugs while he picks up the blanket. As, I walk towards the door, I realize something. "Hmm, that's weird."

"What?" he inquires.

"You actually made it through half an hour without making a single pun," I point.

"You have to be kitten me," he jokes. "How clawful for me to have forgotten!"

"Too soon!" I laugh and swat his arms.

We laugh, filling in the awkward silence from before. As I make my way down the door, I look back him. I call, "Good night, and Chat Noir?"

"Yes?" he responds.

"How long will this last? I mean - when do you need the letter by?" I proceed. He only comes here because of the letter. _If it weren't for the letter and my suggestion, he would not have visited me._

He thinks before saying, "One more week, but don't fret, Princess. I will definitely come visit."

"Okay," I utter. I watch him jump from building to building until he becomes as small as the stars in the sky.

I gaze at the moon and the stars. I wish for this happiness and this warmth on my chest to never end. Afterwards, I carefully climb around Tikki and take the tray to my desk. I yawn and set the tray down. _I'll clean it tomorrow._ Quickly, I brush my teeth before heading to bed. As I do so, a thought constantly runs through my head.

 _How do I keep these feelings under control?_

* * *

 **A/N: It's been a while! I hope everyone is doing well. Season two has been** _ **miraculous**_ **so far. The character development and the plot is just amazing, don't you agree? Hope you all enjoy this chapter and thank you for your wait!**


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